The invention, although useful in any sorbent using dehumidifier, is particularly well suited for use in an air conditioning system that employs a liquid sorbent. Such a system is manufactured by the Ross Air Systems Division of the Midland-Ross Corporation under the trademark KATHABAR. This particular system uses lithium chloride or other halide brine as a liquid sorbent for dehumidifying air circulated through a conditioner. An external coolant, such as chilled water or refrigerant liquid, is used to cool the air. The diluted liquid sorbent from the conditioner, is passed through a regenerator where the moisture absorbed in the conditioner is removed to return the liquid sorbent to its normal concentration. This particular system works exceedingly well, but employs separate cooling and heating plants for supplying the cooling and heating energy utilized in the temperature and moisture conditioning of the air and in the regeneration of the liquid sorbent. The invention is directed to improving the use of energy in such a system.
The invention is also designed for use with a chemical dehumidifier that employs a solid sorbent and is best described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,971, which is typical of the many patents relating to air conditioning systems that utilize a conventional refrigeration apparatus because of the high energy output in the evaporator and condenser of the apparatus in relation to the low electrical energy input required to operate the compressor of the apparatus. These systems do not completely utilize the energy of the refrigeration apparatus, however, but waste considerable heating energy from the condenser by dissipating it to the outside environment, rather than capturing it for reuse in the system.
Briefly stated, the invention is in a system of the sorbent dehumidifying type for temperature and moisture conditioning of air. A conventional refrigeration unit is associated with the system and includes a compressor, evaporator, condenser, and a refrigerant which is circulated between the components of the unit. Sorbent using means are provided for cooling and dehumidifying the air and include means which coact between the evaporator and sorbent using means for utilizing cooling energy from the evaporator in the cooling and dehumidification of the air. Other means are supplied for concentrating sorbent that has become diluted during the dehumidification of the air, including means which coact between the condenser and the sorbent concentrating means for utilizing heating energy from the condenser in the concentration of the sorbent.